I have chosen to do business as my pathway. I haven taken Accounting since my sophomore year and have taken Accounting 1, 2, and Advanced Accounting. My first year taking accounting was very challenging but as time was went on I learned more and got the hang of it and fell in love with it. After high school I want to continued to pursue Accounting and some day be an Accountant.
Job Shadow By Alexis MendezShadowing: Lindsey Lathrop
Job Shadow Narrative In my job shadow, I chose Lindsey Lathrop the owner of INNOVATE Tulare-Kings. I chose her because she is a strong woman who works in the business field. She owns INNOVATE Tulare-Kings and is very inspiring for it. For the job shadow somewhere back in May of 2016. I followed Mrs. Lathrop around her official office building, she showed me the beginning stages of her business and even helped me create my own for fun. In the beginning, she showed me around the building and here office. Also, she showed me all the important jobs for the employees and what they all do to keep the business running. Throughout the day she showed me here daily routines, here important duties and her importance as the owner of a business. She then answered all my questions and took me out to lunch before returning back to school. I learned from Mrs. Lathrop that no idea is to small and that ANYONE can do what they really want to. As long as your heart is in it 100% you can do whatever you want to accomplish. I personally really liked Mrs. Lathrop, she was nice, welcoming and very humble. After the job shadow, I am more than ever sure about going into the business field. I may not or most likely be a business owner. Even though owning a business is not for me I still found it interesting, exciting and something I loved to learn about for the future. I will most definitely will want to be in Accounting or Marketing that I’ve been considering. I have always been interested in the business field since taking accounting classes my sophomore year and I am sticking with it.
#1: What qualities does a person need to process to be in this type of position? Self-motivated, ability to talk and connect to new people, goal-driven, resilient(can overcome challenges), ability to take feedback and rejection
#2: What training or education is required for this type of work? You don’t have to have a business degree to be a business owner. You need a good idea, know how to find and create resources (funding, people/expertise), and you need to be able to get feedback on your idea to continue to reinvent it. Your first idea most likely won’t be the idea you run with for your business.
#3: Do your work a lot overtime? Yes. It’s very common to work a lot of hours as a business owner. You are your own boss, which also means that you bring in the money for your paycheck. Therefore, you work enough so you are bringing in revenue to support your business. Often times this requires working overtime.
#4: How well did your college experience prepared you for this job? I learned a lot about the importance of relationships, which in my opinion, is the #1 skill needed to be successful in business. I have two Bachelor’s Degree in business and Employment Relations and a Masters Degree in Business (MBA). the projects that I had in college are the most memorable because I was able to apply what I was learning in the classroom to the real world.
#5: What inspired you to choose this career? I’m happiest when I’m choosing the projects I’m working on, the people I’m working on them with, and how they get done. I also love to travel so being a consultant enables me to see different parts of the U.S. and meet new people.
#6: What school(s) did you attend? Are there any schools you recommend? I attend State University of New York at Potsdam for my Bachelor’s Degrees and Clarkson University for my MBA. They are both in New York in the mountains! I really loved my experience because even though both colleges are in a small town, I was able to connect to people from all over.
#7: How has your career affected your life? I don’t think it’s possible to separate your career from your life. They are one in the same. If your hate your job, you are going to be grumpy in life. This is exactly why I think saving your money is the number one way you can avoid being in a job you don’t like. If you have money saved, it gives you the freedom to try different jobs, build your skills, and meet the people that will help you get to where you want to go.
#8: What advice do you have for a person aspiring to enter your career field? Try on as many different jobs as possible NOW. Don’t wait until you are in college. Do it now while you support of your parents or guardians. Once you are paying your own bills, it gets way more challenging to explore your interests. Continue to ask people you think have cool jobs about their experiences. People like to talk about themselves - learn from them.
#9: What is the most rewarding part of your job? I have helped hundreds of young people get connected to businesses and people that do work they feel passionately about. I have helped businesses open their doors and create high quality experiences for students. I feel really proud of that.
#10: What is the most challenging part of your job? All of the computer time! I have a lot of email and I try to be as responsive as I can. It can be challenging at times to keep up, but I do because it’s important to stay in touch with people I work with.